Synopsis
After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.
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Cast
- Shirley MacLaineElsa
- Christopher PlummerFred
- Marcia Gay HardenLydia
- Wendell PierceArmande
- Jared GilmanMichael
- Erika AlexanderLaverne
- Chris NothJack
- Scott BakulaRaymond
- George SegalJohn
- Reg RogersAlec
Recommendations
- 80
Los Angeles Times
Though the issues are heavy, the execution is light, enjoyable, but it keeps Elsa & Fred closer to "Sleepless in Seattle" than Fellini's deliciously deep Roman affair. - 70
The New York Times
Ms. MacLaine and Mr. Plummer make an especially compatible match, because his understated portrayal of a despairing misanthrope reins in her scenery-chewing exhibitionism. - 60
Village Voice
This occasionally charming November-December romance has elements of a Douglas Sirk woman's weepie... but the movie eventually goes into Woody Allen territory in the best way possible. - 50
Observer
Forced, contrived and slow as Christmas, it’s a pleasant enough time-waster, but what a treat to spend just under two hours in the hands of pros. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
Plummer and MacLaine are, of course, consummate talents, but they’re left coasting in a film that provides each with the barest of character sketches. - 50
USA Today
The corny love story is all the more disappointing given the pedigree of the octogenarian actors. - 40
The Dissolve
Radford’s pacing, which alternates between “stately” and “deathly,” keeps robbing the film of any momentum, and for every charming moment between the two leads, the film offers annoying bits of overstatement. - 30
The Hollywood Reporter
Despite the presence of Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer, both sprightly and appealing in the lead roles, this misfire of a cornball romance is so tone-deaf, so utterly lacking in screwball snap and visual punch, that viewers will find it hard to care whether or not the aging lovebirds end up in each other’s arms.
